Generally, high and low currents flow through a product using electricity, and thus the electric product is operated, in which case static electricity is generated in a charged object by electric charges. Unlike the movement of current generated by the general flow of charges, static electricity is characterized in that static electricity remains on the surface of a charged object without the flow of charges, maintains a predetermined voltage, and is discharged to thus generate discharge current at the moment of the removal of electricity.
When electrostatic discharge occurs, electrostatic energy maintained by charges is released to a discharge space. An unexpected problem may occur due to a spark which may be generated during a discharge process. For example, the problem includes the ignition and explosion of inflammable gas, an electrical impact on a human body, a damage to a living body such as a damage to a skin, the destruction of a semiconductor device, poor painting and printing, the exposure of a photo film, the erroneous operation of an electronic device attributable to electronic noise, etc.
In particular, a large amount of oil mist may be generated or inflammable gas may leak in areas where inflammables are handled, such as an area where petroleum is refined, such as a petrochemical factor or an oil refinery, an area where gunpowder or the like is handled, an area where inflammable gas is handled, etc. Accordingly, there is a risk that fire explosion occurs due to a spark which may be generated in a process of discharging static electricity under high voltage.
Accordingly, such areas are designated as explosion-proof areas where fire explosion is prevented from occurring, from which all risky factors which may act as ignition sources are removed. In each facility, grounding is performed via a plurality of static electricity removal apparatuses, and static electricity is discharged to the surface of the earth, thereby preventing a fire explosion accident attributable to the accumulation of static electricity from occurring.
In such an explosion-proof area, static electricity accumulated in the body of an enterer may act as an ignition source for fire explosion. Accordingly, human body-accumulated static electricity is removed by applying a static electricity removal apparatus not only to a facility but also to an enterer.
Conventionally, human body-accumulated static electricity has been removed using various methods. For example, a task is performed with a ground line connected to clothes, or static electricity is discharged through passage through a conductive mat.
However, according to the method, an enterer cannot be notified of the amount of human body-accumulated static electricity, and does not become aware of the importance of a process of removing static electricity. Accordingly, the enterer enters an explosion-proof area in the state in which the enterer has not appropriately performed a process of removing static electricity, and thus there is the risk of fire explosion.
Korean Utility Model Registration No. 20-0151780 (registered on Apr. 20, 1999; hereinafter referred to as “prior art document 1”) presents a static electricity removal apparatus. Prior art document 1 presents a static electricity removal apparatus, the static electricity removal apparatus being provided in a clean room and removing static electricity attributable to a human body, which is generated in the clothes of an operator and is a cause of the destruction of a semiconductor device, the static electricity removal apparatus comprising: at least one air spray means provided at a predetermined location on the surface of the inner wall of the clean room, and configured to spray clean air, supplied from the outside, for a predetermined period in order to separate particles remaining on clothes; at least one vapor spray means provided at a predetermined location on one side of the air spray means, and configured to spray vapor to the clothes for a predetermined period in order to discharge static electricity attributable to a human body into the air; a duct provided at a predetermined location on the surface of the wall of the clean room, configured to remove the particles separate from clothes and dry moisture through suction, and made of a conductive material so that all charged objects, including the static electricity discharged into the air, within the clean room can flow; and a ground mat connected to the duct, and configured to ground the charged objects flowing along the duct. The static electricity removal apparatus of prior art document 1 is a static electricity removal means used in the field of the manufacture of semiconductors, and is configured such that a moisture spray opening is installed in the inner wall of the building of a clean room designed to fundamentally block the inflow of impurities and static electricity is discharged by spraying moisture.
The static electricity removal apparatus of prior art document 1 is similar to the present invention in which static electricity is discharged into the air by spraying vapor in order to prevent semiconductor productivity from being reduced due to impurities and charged objects. However, the static electricity removal apparatus of prior art document 1 is inconvenient in that an enterer has to rotate in order to spray vapor to the overall body of the enterer during a process of spraying vapor because openings configured to spray vapor are formed in both side walls to face each other, is disadvantageous in that the static electricity removal apparatus is integrated with a building at an entrance to the building in which a semiconductor production line is installed and thus has poor mobility, and is problematic in that it is difficult for a user to become aware of a risk regarding static electricity because information about human body-accumulated static electricity is not provided.
Korean Patent No. 10-1167964 (registered on Jul. 17, 2012; hereinafter referred to as “prior art document 2”) presents a static electricity detection and removal apparatus. The static electricity detection and removal apparatus of prior art document 2 was filed and patented by the present inventor, comprises: a static electricity detection unit configured to come into contact with an object, a body configured to include a display module and a bypass module, a lower support part configured to include a ground module and a power module, and a connection part configured to connect the body with the lower support part, and to connect static electricity and power via different lines, and displays the amount of static electricity accumulated while removing static electricity by using a method in which an object makes a direct contact. Although the static electricity detection and removal apparatus of prior art document 2 has the effect of reducing static electricity to a dangerous level or lower by using the contact method, there is some difficulty in removing static electricity accumulated in clothes because a contact portion is limited.
Therefore, there is a need for research into a static electricity removal apparatus having a new structure, which can increase efficiency in removing static electricity accumulated in clothes by increasing a contact area through the application of a static electricity removal method based on the spray of moisture and can remove static electricity by spraying moisture to the front side of an enterer without requiring a user to rotate.